The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-04-12
RAILROAD TIES.
RELATIVE LASTING QUALITIES OF
DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOOD.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOOD.
An Industry Which the Railroads Have
Made and FOstered-The Original
Hewed Article still Considered the
Best There Is.
1--WE have our fruit season, nut season,
and various other seasons, but this is the
railroad tie season." said Roadmaster
DonOghue of the Illinois Central 1.-THE
season commences about Oct. and ends
in April and May. From this you are to
understand that during this period our
busy time lasts
"How long does a tie live?''
'"The average life of a tie of course
depends as much upon what it is made of
as the life of man is generally gagged by
his habits-it is all in the stuff that is in
it. The best ties are made of burr and
white oak-that is, of the material most
available ties made from that sort of
timber are the best. Honey locust out
lasts anything we put down, but we can
get but little of that Along with the
burr and white oaks we Will place post
oak, and place the average life of tie of
that material at seven years.
TIFF LIFE OF TIE
81 might say, too, - continued the road
master, "that the life IF a tie depends
much on the ballast in which the timber
is tmbedded l have had ties remain
sound for fifteen years in cinder and
rock ballast. They last long hime also
in gravel-as long as ten years. In or
-aillory earth ballast they become worth
ar seven years of service
Nv nat about the differe@ "a between
hewed and sawed ties?''
''Well, there is in the life of ties at the
very least three years difference, and that
in favor of those that are hewed, and I
will give you a good reason for this fact:
Sawed ties are made of timber that can
not be hewed and that has been shook
timber that is blown down by storms
The saw leaves the creases around a knot
so exposed that the water gets in there
and so remains. The creases of the saw
also make little cutters, as it were, which
hold the water and which of course causes
he tie to rot. In all my experience-and
that covers q long term in the various
branches of roadnaking-T never knew
sawed tie to lie as long as the one which
is hewed. We buy ties of two classes.
first and second, and are now paying
from 80 to Al cents for the former and II
cents for the second. For sawed ties we
pay by the thousand feet-$14 per 900
Switch ties are always sawed. A set of
switch ties contains 2, $50 feet, and costs
us $32. All ties are closely inspected
About twice q month l do this work
The ties are hauled to the track and
ranked piled upl, and take squad of
section men by whom the ties are all re-
handled, and SO as each one is turned
over it is given its class and marked on
the end-two dots for second class, one
dot for first. Ties made of red or
water oak we throw out entirely, ac-
cepting them at no price. Ties are paid
for as often as twice a month, the money
being paid through the station agents of
the company, who are furnished funds
for that purpose. So far this season we
have shipped about $4,000 ties Just
now they are being sent north to build
the double track between Kankakee and
Chicago and also Freeport for use in
building the new road from Freeport to
Madison, Wis. -
TIES FOR ONE MILE.
Chow many ties does it take for one
mile of road, Mr.. Donoghue?''
''Twenty-six hundred. We watch the
road closely, and as the old ones become
useless we take them out and put in the
new We do not commence on a mile
track or section of track and put in
ties, beginning at one end, but our aim
is to keep up a uniform sOundness from
one end of the road to the other Some
roads adopt the plan of skipping ties in
spiking the rails to them, but | find this
impractIcable and dangerous Every
tie should be spiked on both sides of the
rail Old ties are taken possession of by
the section men, who convert them into
firewood.
''Ties are hauled to US frequently
from distance of fifteen miles from the
track, eight or ten ties being the average
load.
cities are just as much of commod-
ity almost as wheat or corn. There are
the line who do not trade for ties, and
they all make good profit. In the first
place they have a profit on their goods
and win sell tie for an advance of at
least five cents on what they paid for ties
in trade We IRE now loading and shin
ping away almost as fast as we receive
them.
On account of the extensive use of
trestles in bridging over low places by
railroads the pile business has also grown
in great proportions. These are cut
from huge logs, parked and hauled to the
track. They are generally about eight
cen inches through, thirty feet long. and
one of them delivered on the car costs
So. 70. The ties on this sort of structure
are all sawed, and cost $14 per /. 600 feet
Tie and pile makers make but little
money-an expert chopper cannot get
out more than fifteen ties in a day. He
gets II cents each for these. so that no
would make only 81. Go per day. and if 10
the tie trader, not the maker who coins
the money. Chicago Tribune.